Locomotive



Jan. 12, 1943. w, E, RQDLER 2,307,357

LOCOMOTIVE 1 Original Filed June 1, 1937 4 Sheets-Shet'l mvsmox WALDO E. RODLER BY I ATTORNEY.

W. E. RODLER Jan. 12, 1943.

LOCOMOTIVE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 iii l "1w 2 m Ill N MN INVENTOR.

WALDO E. RODLER e, 4%, ATTORNEY.

Jan. 12, 1943. w RQDLER 2,307,857

LOCOMOTIVE Original Filed June 1, 1937. 4 Shets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR, WALDD E. RODLER BY ATTORNEY.

jam. 12, 1943. w. E. RODLER LOCOMOTIVE Original Filed June 1, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. WALDO E. RODLER ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE Waldo E. Rodler, Davenport, Iowa 4 Claims.

This invention relates to locomotives, rail cars and the like and has particular relation to drive means for such vehicles.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial Number 145,721, filed June 1, 1937.

In relatively light locomotives of the industrial type it i customary in many cases to utilize Diesel engines or gasoline engines as the prime movers for such devices. In this way power plants are provided which are relatively small and compact and of simple construction.

In devices of this character, however, it is customary to use multiple gearing, both forward and reverse, for driving the traction wheels from the prime mover. However, in the customary construction it has been the usual practice to place the transmission and clutch in a housing on the rear of the motor. This makes a compact structure but has a very serious drawback in that such structures are extremely difiicult to service in the field due to the lack of facilities and because of the heavy parts which must necessarily be handied.

It has been the practice in locomotive construction to fasten the transmission to the rear of the engine or support it adjacent the rear of the engine. It was customary to drive from this transmission through a double chain to one axle and to drive other axles by means of chains from this first axle or to utilize a jack shaft with side rod connections from the transmission to the first set of wheels and other side rods from the first set of wheels to a second shaft or in still another type of transmission to place the transmission between two sets of wheels and drive each set by separate chains. If a third set of wheels are used, these are driven by still another chain drive from one of the first named shafts.

In devices of this character it is frequently necessary to reline th clutch and it is necessary, in order to do this, to either move the motor ahead or move the transmission rearwardly. In dismounting these structures, it was necessary either to dismount the motor and move it ahead or take off the cab portion of the structure to move the transmission back.

With these customary style of drives, extra chains were needed and adjustments were required to take up chain wear and, of course, the expense of building locomotives in this way was high by reason of the extra parts required.

It is one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a locomotive drive in which the transmission is mounted on the axle rather than on the motor or prime mover or suspended from a frame.

It is another object of my invention to provide a drive in which space is conserved by mounting the motor and the transmission above an axle with the motor located on one side of the axle and the transmission on the other.

Another object of my invention is to provide an axle mounted transmission.'

Another object of my invention is to provide a readily separable transmission structure which may be dismounted and assembled part by part so that the weight of the parts is relatively low.

Another object of my invention is to provide a more direct drive for locomotives thereby eliminating several friction points required in the usual structures.

It is another object of my invention to provide a transmission in which the multiple speed, forward and reversing means and reduction gearing are disposed about the main axle of the locomotive.

Another object of my invention is to provide a transmission in which the forward and reverse and the change speeds are ahead of the speed changing and reduction gearing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a locomotive in which the transmission, clutch and such parts may be removed or repaired with a minimum of disturbance and'difiiculty.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for equalizing wear on the opposite faces of the gear teeth and other moving parts of the transmission of a locomotive.

Other and further features and objects of my invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and following specifications, wherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a locomotive constructed according to one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in section of a transmission suitable for the locomotive shown in Figure l constructed according to an embodiment of my invention.

Figure 3 is an end sectional view of the transmission shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top sectional view taken along the lines IVIV of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a transmission constructed according to an embodiment of my invention and illustrating the manner in which the transmission is mounted in the locomotive frame.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 11, a locomotive constructed according to one embodiment of my invention includes a prime mover indicated at H), which is mounted at the forward portion of a main frame H, and housed by the canopy l2. A cab |3 is mounted at the rear of the structure and the frame is supported on pairs of wheels l4, l6 and I1. The locomotive is coupled to the train by means of the couplers l8 and I9 in accordance with the usual practice. The prime mover l may be 2. Diesel engine or gasoline engine, or even a steam engine, though this is not the usual practice in locomotives of this character. The brake rigging is indicated generally at 29.

In the locomotive here shown, six wheels are employed all of which are drivers. It is preferable, in a preferred embodiment of my invention, to mount the transmission on the middle axle and drive the forward and rear axles from this middle axle. This is a preferred drive from the engineering standpoint and it is one of the advantages of my invention that the transmission may be located at this point, which is not the case in the devices of the prior art.

In a four-wheel locomotive it is the usual practice to mount the transmission above the rear wheels and drive the front wheels from the rear axle.

In Figure l the transmission is located at 2|. The drive-in shaft for driving the transmission 2| from the motor H] is indicated generally at 22. The chains for driving front and rear axles are indicated at 23 and 24.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the transmission is housed in a multiart housing indicated generally at 25 and comprised of a lower transmission case 21, a middle transmission case 28, and upper transmission case 29. The lower transmission case is provided with an oil pan 3|, these casings being preferably split in horizontal planes at the middle transmission shaft or change-speed drive shaft 33, the lower transmission shaft or change-speed driven shaft 34 and at the main or drive axle 36, the various shafts being received in anti-friction bearings mounted in these housings.

In driving forward, the spur gear 37 on splined in-drive shaft 32 is meshed with spur gear 38 on shaft 33. In the transmission here shown, four speeds forward and four reverse are provided. Low speed is afforded by meshing the gear 39 on shaft 34 with the gear 4| on the splined portion of shaft 33. Second gear is accomplished through meshing gear 42 with the gear 43. Third speed is afforded by means of gears 44 and 46, gears 4| and 43 being out of engagement, and fourth speed by meshing gears 41 and 38. Reverse is afforded by means of an idler gear 48 (Fig. 3) which is adapted to mesh with the gears 49 and 45, the four speeds being accomplished by means of gears 39, 42, 44 and 41 as before.

The gears 44 and 47 are shifted by one shifting fork 5| which is received in the groove 52, and shifting of the gears 4| and 43 is accomplished by another shifting fork 53 received in the groove 54. The shifting forks 5| and 53 may be shifted by the same shift lever 50 which engages in one or the other of the sockets or 56, the socket 56 being engaged to shaft 51 carrying the fork 53 and the socket 55 being engaged to shaft 58 on which shifting fork 5| is mounted. The shifting of gears 49 and 31 for forward and reverse is accomplished by means of a fork received in the groove 59 between these gears.

The reduction drive is accomplished by means of the bevel pinion 6| which is mounted on the end of the lower transmission shaft 34 and this bevel pinion drives a large bevel gear 62 which is mounted on the final drive pinion shaft 63. The drive shaft 63 is provided with a spur gear 64 which meshes with a large spur gear 66 which is keyed to the drive axle 36 by means of keys 61.

In accordance with the usual practice the clutch is housed in the clutch housing 20 which is mounted on the flywheel housing 25 of the engine and this clutch permits engagement and disengagement of the various gears for multiple speeds forward and reverse.

Since the transmission depends chiefly for its support on the drive axle 36 it is apparent that some means preferably should be supplied at some other point for further supporting the transmission to prevent it from rotating about the shaft 36 when power is applied. A preferred suspension means is a nose suspension system employing springs, rubber pads or other flexible means mounted on the face of the transmission housing opposite the drive shaft portion.

In a preferred embodiment of this nose suspension means, I employ a nose suspension bracket H which is a part of the bearing cap l2. This bearing cap is bolted to the rear of the lower transmission case and the cap 72 has flanges 13 received in the transmission case to provide means for absorbing shear from the case to the cap (Figure 2). A nose suspension bolt or hanger I4 is pivotally engaged to the bracket 7| and this bolt has a nut 75 threaded on its upper end. A cross beam H is provided as a part of the frame and this cross beam is provided with a bracket '38 which has an opening through it to receivethc bolt 74. Springs 19 and 8| are provided on opposite sides of the bracket 78 and these springs are disposed on the bolt 74 in such manner that the spring 8| absorbs the driving torque in driving the locomotive forward and the spring 19 in driving it in reverse. Drive to the wheels is afforded by means of sprockets 82, 33, 84 and 85 and chains 23 and 24.

One of the marked advantages of my invention is that by having the reverse gears ahead of the speed change gears and the final reduction gears, Wear is equalized on both profiles of the teeth of gear train.

Another advantage of devices constructed according to my invention is that by mounting the transmission directly on the drive shaft sev eral friction points are eliminated, thus resulting in an increase of efficiency of the transmission over the transmissions known to the art.

Still another advantage of my invention is the elimination of the parts hitherto believed necessary such as the jack shafting, the extra chains and sprockets and the final drive shaft and the housings and bearings for these elements.

Still another advantage of devices constructed according to my invention is that the shocks of changing gears, of starting and stopping, and of driving are absorbed by the nose suspension means.

Another advantage is that the clutch may be exposed for re-facing by disconnecting the universal joint of the in-drive shaft and removing the clutch housing.

Furthermore, the entire transmission may be removed by removing the spring suspension bolt, the universal joints of the drive-in shaft and the pedestal binders. If it is necessary to overhaul the transmission it may be dismounted, one housing at a time, by splitting it along the parting lines of the housings at the various shafts.

Another advantage is that the drive from the prime mover to the main axle is positive without the necessity of using flexible means such as chain drives and the-like. If desired side rods may be employed instead of chains for driving the front and rear wheels from the main drive shaft, thus making the drive entirely a positive drive.

This is of material advantage since chain drives have certain disadvantages such as the liability to breakage of the parts of the chain due to rocks, earth and the like getting into the bearings and wearing. Furthermore, chain drives require adjustment from time to time, which becomes an important point where locomotives of this character are used in localities remote from any repair facilities.

On the locomotives known to the art it is necessary to adjust the spacing of th main axle from the transmission to compensate for wear in the chain drive while with my transmission no adjustment of this character is necessary on the main axle.

The fact that a positive drive may be used becomes of material importance in applying this type of drive to larger locomotives inasmuch as the chain drive is limited by the capacity of the chains, and if larger locomotives are required, additional chain drives are necessary.

A modification of my invention is to place the clutch and speed changing gearing in the clutch housing of the prime mover with the reverse and drive gearing mounted about the axle as shown and described.

Although I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a transmission, an axle, a transmission case supported therefrom and extending rearwardly, upwardly, and transversely thereto, the transmission case being split in a horizontal plane through the axis of the axle to permit removal from the axle, a lower transmission shaft disposed in the case above and transverse to the axle, speed reduction drive gearing for operatively connecting the said lower transmission shaft and the axle, an upper transmission shaft disposed above and in parallel relation to the lower transmission shaft, selective, plural speed gearing operatively connecting the upper and lower transmission shafts, and forward and reverse drive gearing mounted above the upper transmission shaft and adapted to be selectively engaged with the plural speed gearing, the transmission case being split in horizontal planes passing through the upper and lower transmission shafts.

2. In a transmission, a main axle, a transmission housing mounted thereon, a main driven gear mounted on the axle, a cross drive shaft, a spur drive gear thereon engaged with the main driven gear, a lower transmission shaft, bevel speed reduction gearing for the transmission of power from the lower transmission shaft to the cross shaft, an upper transmission shaft disposed in parallel relation to the lower transmission shaft, a pair of driven gears affixed to the lower transmission shaft, a pair of drive gears slidably mounted on the upper transmission shaft and adapted to be selectively engaged or disengaged with either of said driven gears, a pair of drive gears affixed to the upper transmission shaft, a set of driven gears slidably mounted on the lower transmission shaft and adapted to be selectively engaged or disengaged with either of said drive gears affixed to the upper shaft, a drive-in shaft, forward and reverse gears slidably mounted thereon, an idler gear engaged with one of the fixed drive gears on the upper shaft, and means for selectively engaging the forward and reverse gears with the other fixed drive gear on the upper shaft or with the idler gear.

3. In a transmission, a main axle, a transmission housing mounted thereon, a main driven gear mounted on the axle, a cross drive shaft, a spur drive gear thereon engaged with the main driven gear, a lower transmission shaft, speedreduction bevel gearing driving the cross shaft from the lower transmission shaft, an upper transmission shaft disposed in parallel relation to the lower transmission shaft, a plurality of drive gears of varying size mounted on the upper transmission shaft, a similar number of companion gears mounted on the lower transmission shaft, a drive-in shaft, forward and reverse gears slidably mounted thereon, an idler gear engaged with one of the gears on the upper transmission shaft, means for selectively engaging the forward and reverse gears with the other of the gears on the upper transmission shaft or with the idler gear, the said upper and lower transmission shafts having parts thereof splined for slidably receiving a part of the total number of gears mounted thereon, the said slidably mounted gears being the smaller of those mounted upon the respective shafts, the remaining gears on each shaft being keyed in fixed position thereon, and means for selectively shifting one of said slidable gears on either transmission shaft into engagement with its companion gear keyed to the other transmission shaft.

4. In a transmission, a main axle, a transmission housing having bearings at one end and transversely thereof for receiving the said axle for rotation therein, a main driven gear mounted on the axle, a cross drive shaft, a spur drive gear thereon engaged with the main driven gear, upper and lower transmission shafts extending parallel to one another and transversely to the said axle, speed reducing bevel gearing operatively connecting the cross drive shaft and the lower transmission shaft, a plurality of pairs of companion speed-change gears on said transmission shafts, the larger of the gears on each transmission shaft being keyed thereto, the smaller of the said ears being grouped together and splined to the said transmission shafts and slidable thereon for selective engagement with their larger companion ears affixed to the other of the transmission shafts, a drive-in shaft disposed above the upper transmission shaft, a pair of forward and reverse drive gears splined thereto and slidable thereon for selective engagement with one of the larger gears keyed to the upper transmission shaft and with an idler gear mounted in fixed engagement with the other of said larger gears, and means for selectively shifting any one of the said smaller gears on the upper and lower transmission shafts into engagement with its larger companion gear.

' WALDO E. RODLER. 

